Central texas/hill country vs East texas/piney woods (Lubbock: living, area)

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by mrfoe

I said the hills where taller and longer in killeen and copperas cove. I never said these areas are the scenic area of hill country. Killeen used to be scenic 25 years ago until it became urbanized.

LOL I lived in Killeen in the late 80s - it was a pit then and it's a pit now. I've lived all over the world and there are only a few places that I can look back on and say "Wow, I hated that place." Killeen made my hate list.

By the way, I lived in Copperas Cove before I lived in Killeen - UGH! My experience living in that area almost turned me off to Texas in general. However, I will say one thing positive about it - the plateaus surrounding Copperas Cove are unique.

[Philosophizer]

Wow, a 30 foot clay bank on Rayburn! Gives me goosebumps.

Try this for size.

Originally Posted by Cacao

Well we see who doesn't know what they are talking about

https://maps.google.com/maps?t=p&ie=...=12,44.55,,0,0

NONE of the drama my ass!

Lake Sam Rayburn



I'm not even sure what this is supposed to mean, but half of Caddo Lake is in Texas therefore it feels like that part of Texas that it is in. I also happen to enjoy the Texas coast and couldn't care less what you think about it.


You can only speak for yourself. Give me skyscraping trees and better fall color any day!

[Cacao]

Originally Posted by Philosophizer

Wow, a 30 foot clay bank on Rayburn! Gives me goosebumps.

Try this for size.

You must be trying to impress someone else because it surely isn't me.

[War Beagle]

Originally Posted by homeinatx

qft. Palo Duro canyon is the poor man's Grand Canyon.

The only extraordinary scenery in the state is in the trans-Pecos. The Guadeloupe and Davis mountains are impressive but the Chinati and Chisos mountains are amazing. The Big Bend area can justifiably make a claim to being one of the most scenically spectacular and remote regions of the United States. The Rio Grande canyons are achingly beautiful, and the juxtaposition of riverine tropical to desert to Alpine ecosystems all in the space of a few miles never fails to blow my mind. Big Bend is one of the most beautiful and strange places in the world, and I have been around.

I'd agree with this. I think East Texas is pretty, but that is because I like the scenery of the SE portion of the country. But it is true that East Texas doesn't have much that differentiates itself from the rest of the south in terms of scenery. Likewise, the Hill Country is a poor man's southern California. It might have more scrubby trees overall than SoCal, but the Hill Country is really no more than the foothills you see in CA without the actual mountains.

With the exception of Monument Valley, the scenery in the Big Bend area is the quintessential vision of the American West. When foreigners think of Texas, they often think of western films which tend to portray scenery reminiscent of Big Bend/Trans-Pecos. I have always found it ironic that most of Texas looks nothing like how it is portrayed in the movies. I've had plenty of people visit Houston and talk about how amazed they were that it is green.

[mrfoe]

Originally Posted by War Beagle

I'd agree with this. I think East Texas is pretty, but that is because I like the scenery of the SE portion of the country. But it is true that East Texas doesn't have much that differentiates itself from the rest of the south in terms of scenery. Likewise, the Hill Country is a poor man's southern California. It might have more scrubby trees overall than SoCal, but the Hill Country is really no more than the foothills you see in CA without the actual mountains.

With the exception of Monument Valley, the scenery in the Big Bend area is the quintessential vision of the American West. When foreigners think of Texas, they often think of western films which tend to portray scenery reminiscent of Big Bend/Trans-Pecos. I have always found it ironic that most of Texas looks nothing like how it is portrayed in the movies. I've had plenty of people visit Houston and talk about how amazed they were that it is green.

I wouldn't say hill country is the poor mans southern California. If you would have said hill country is the rural texas version i could agree. We all have our opinions though.

[mrfoe]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

LOL I lived in Killeen in the late 80s - it was a pit then and it's a pit now. I've lived all over the world and there are only a few places that I can look back on and say "Wow, I hated that place." Killeen made my hate list.

By the way, I lived in Copperas Cove before I lived in Killeen - UGH! My experience living in that area almost turned me off to Texas in general. However, I will say one thing positive about it - the plateaus surrounding Copperas Cove are unique.

Alot of people hate killeen because its ghetto. But killeen is making steps become to a better city. Killeen had a population of 80,000 in the late 90s now the population is just over 130,000. Is killeen for everyone? No but its not as bad as ppl make it out to be. If you want true ghettos try Detroit or Houston.

[mrfoe]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

LOL I lived in Killeen in the late 80s - it was a pit then and it's a pit now. I've lived all over the world and there are only a few places that I can look back on and say "Wow, I hated that place." Killeen made my hate list.

By the way, I lived in Copperas Cove before I lived in Killeen - UGH! My experience living in that area almost turned me off to Texas in general. However, I will say one thing positive about it - the plateaus surrounding Copperas Cove are unique.

I lived in Killeen for 10 years and never had a problem. I lived in a quite neighborhood with nice neighbor's. The only issue i had was i has to travel to austin or san antonio to have fun.

[ctk0p7]

Originally Posted by Cacao

You must be trying to impress someone else because it surely isn't me.

As a native East Texan, I can appreciate the beauty of it's vast forests and rolling hills. I have lived in Central Texas for a year now, and I can tell you that there is a huge difference in topography of the two areas. The Central Texas hills have a much larger range of elevation from peaks to valleys. While each person is entitled to what they may find as being more attractive, the fact that the Central Texas hills having more vertical rise can't be argued. I prefer the hillier terrain around Austin, and the awesome views you get from places such as Mt. Bonnel or from the Capital of Texas Highway, both of which provide views that you will never get in East Texas.

[homeinatx]

To get a little pompous, assessments of beauty have a strong subjective element, and I totally get how someone would prefer the smaller hills and bigger trees of parts of East Texas to the hill country, but assessments of beauty also have a normative dimension, and in terms of landscape: greater changes in elevation, more variety in terrain are considered more conventionally/normatively beautiful.

Parts of the hill country do look like northern San Diego county or the hills of southern France or Tuscany without the architecture, or the Blue mountains of New South Wales without the eucalyptus, but the rivers of the Hill country add a whole extra dimension: the Frio, the Pedernales, the Comal, the Guadelupe, the Blanco etc as they flow over limestone create crystal clear waters and weird caverns and canyons and they create a singular kind of beauty. East Texas is pretty but not as pretty as the Appalachian foothills of Georgia or North Carolina or the Ozarks in Arkansas: a lesser version of a type. You can see a better version of the east Texas landscape in any number of places. Where's the better version of the Texas hill country?

[KathrynAragon]

The Hill Country is absolutely beautiful - to me the unique Hill Country landscape, vegetation, etc is more striking than the bucolic, gently rolling hills of East Texas. But beauty isn't everything. After all, Kim Kardashian is beautiful...but would you really want to have to be around her all the time?